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The Past and Dreams
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“……I see.”
I don’t know whether that action is from her feelings of guilt for having kept it a secret, or her feelings of powerlessness. However as the person most impacted by the revelation, I was—like a calm in the sea—composed. Normally, being informed that one’s mother had passed away is something that would make one lose their composure.
It was a life where I had repeatedly killed people, and one where countless friends died in front of my eyes. Even though I have sad feelings, tears just don’t come out at all. As someone who is desensitized at those people’s life-and-death, I’m more lamentable.
“Erina, I’m all right.”
“You were thinking of what was best for me and kept it a secret. Granted that I’m thankful for that, but there’s no reason for me to resent you for it, right?”
“Eh? Things about ojou-sama?”
“Ok. Miliaria……it’s Aria-sama, but she was a simple and innocent lady.”
Most likely recalling my mother in those days, her expression slightly softened. ‘Simple and innocent’, but as far as I can see from the picture, she does have a pure, innocent and meek atmosphere.
“She was the only daughter of one of the noble families: the Eldrand family. A lady overflowing with dignity and with a kind heart that saved me when I had fallen into misfortune and was despairing. A lot of her conduct was not noble-esque, but strangely, she had a charisma that fascinated people. However the Eldrand family lost a fight for political power with another noble family and together with their house, they were divested of their noble title. There was a foolish noble who fell in love at first sight with that Aria-sama. By marrying herself to that noble, she was promised that her parents would be safe.”
So she sold herself for the sake of her family? I wonder just how much resignation she carried.
“It was awful after that. The foolish noble kept Aria-sama company just once and then lost interest, and shut her up in this mansion without conferring any status to her at all. The three of us, who had nowhere to go, were employed for this mansion by Aria-sama’s recommendation. Luckily or unluckily, Aria-sama was pregnant with Sirius-sama. As soon as that became clear, though only giving a little bit of money, ‘raise Sirius-sama as a spare heir’……he said.”
I’m sure they were vexed from the bottom of their heart. Even though that detestable noble is my father, she’s not holding back. That’s fine, the whole time……that was just the resentment piled up for years. I think she’s putting an end to that and spitting it all out. .
“It was proven afterwards, but the fight for political power was discovered to be caused by that noble because he also wanted Aria-sama. Her parents are also untraceable. How often I loathed that noble…”
Truly a sleazebag.
For example, that yesterday’s noble—my father—was named Bardomir Dorian. That we somehow manage to get by with the scarce amount of money granted to us. That we could live in this house for another five years.
“It’s fine. As I understood it all.”
“What……are you going to talk about?”
“Yes I do, I’ve had them several times but it’s often the case that I don’t remember them.”
“That sort of thing is… Ano, do you have those dreams even now?”
“…………”
I tried telling Erina-san my secret while summing it up; I feel that it’s going well, but she had a pensive look on her face.
Her reply was……to hug me.
“Rarely crying, reading the letters of the alphabet in merely a year, and comprehending magic. I had various doubts, but to think that there were such reasons for it… Not to mention things like war……you have been through many hardships haven’t you?”
Uuumu, I didn’t think that she would believe it this easily. She said that my mother was a big-shot, but Erina-san is every bit a ‘big-shot’.
Iya……it’s different. In regards to me, she is unconditionally on my side. Even if I was a criminal or whatever, she would continue to protect me.
“The aforementioned is my secret. Therefore I comprehend the current situation. I will be chased out after five years, right?”
“Come now, it’s not like that. I’m here right now because Erina has done her best. It’s also why Dee and Noel are also able to be here, smiling.”
As she is an attendant, what I’ll say is this:
“Once again, thank you Erina. I’m counting on you from now on as well.”
“To both of them as well?”
“I understand. Let’s explain it to them when they get back. I wonder what kind of face they’ll make when they find out the current state of affairs and the truth.”
I prepare the black tea again, and at around the time the sun goes down, the two people who had gone out had returned. They came back, but they’re strangely noisy. They ran around the house while making the sounds of large footsteps, and opened the door of the room without a knock.
“Erina-san! Are you alright?!”
Noel was breathing roughly and burst into the room. One step behind her, Dee also burst into the room. It was so noisy that Erina-san held her hand to her forehead and sighed.
“Noel, you are being noisy. First get through reporting of your return to Sirius-sama.”
“I understand, so settle down and explain it calmly.”
Noel was completely in a state of confusion; we had a hard time calming her down.
This time’s shopping trip was in order to not meet my father, but that father is to meet with Erina-san. And the Demon’s Water disease had also spread widely in the neighbouring town from where father had departed from. The possibility of water-attribute Erina-san being infected was extremely high.
“I’m glad.”
“……eh?”
Noel’s smile solidified.
“Oh come on, you are full of life aren’t you? Please stop joking around.”
“We ran out of medicine didn’t w—……aah, was there in fact just one remaining?”
“Erina is convalescing, so if you could be a bit more quieter…”
“About that, there’s something I need to tell you. Dee, Noel, not a word to anyone about what I’m about to talk about.”
“I understand. Noel, calm down a bit.”
Noel started to become confused once again, but Dee changed his posture to intently and exclusively listen to me while calming Noel down. As Erina-san was looking over here, I nodded and invited her to continue. I entrusted the explanation to Erina-san. It’s by no means because it was troublesome. That way they could accept it more easily, and if she makes a mistake, then it’ll be okay if I point them out.
Noel’s face is swinging between rejoice and worry, and Dee was expressionless with a furrow on his face, earnestly submerged in the swirls of his thoughts. Well, yeah, you wouldn’t be able to act normally after being slapped with that information all of a sudden. It seemed like the stillness would last for a long time, so I re-make several people’s worth of tea, I place it in front of the two of them, and they finally restarted.
“There are various things which I can’t believe, but there are also points which I understand. Moreover, this is also……”
Noel drinks the black tea which I had prepared, and gave a satisfied nod.
“This black tea, it’s not a flavour which can be brought out very easily. Actually, isn’t it more delicious than the one I make?! It’s mortifying……er no, has Dee-san taught Sirius-sama how to prepare black tea before?”
“I haven’t either. Erina-san hasn’t either right?”
Like Noel said, the three of them didn’t teach me how to do it. In my previous life, my shishou was a black-tea-otaku, so I was just forced to memorize it. It’s okay since I don’t have an obsession with it, but if my shishou was to drink the black tea of this world, it’s an established fact that we would undergo a lecture course while sitting in seiza.
The discussion has gone off track. At any rate, this means that Noel is convinced by the fact that I could use a method of preparing tea which I wasn’t taught.
“Ume~……it’s delicious but it’s vexing. Don’t you think so too, Dee-san?”
“Ouch! I never would’ve thought that it would be backwards and I would be the one taught; as your onee-chan, I’m……eei, please teach me too!”
The pride of the older sister is cheap. Maa, I also drink black tea, so let’s show the three of them how to prepare it next time.
“Uu, please do.”
“Understood. To be able to handle the fire stone, as expected.”
“ “ “Eh!?” ” ”
Was there something weird with what I said?
“There isn’t.”
“Sirius-sama, I am sorry but how did you prepare the fire?”
“Frictional heating?”
I have a feeling that we’re not quite on the same conversation wavelength.
“Amazing, doesn’t it mean that magic squares and fire-attribute holders are unnecessary for this?”
I don’t really understand the conventional wisdom of this worl—……wait a second?
In that instant, I realized that I had made an unexpected misunderstanding.
Ending with this one insight, the incident this time was resolved.